New Whetmead Nature trail

Witham Town Council are thrilled to announce the opening of an exciting new children’s nature trail on Whetmead Nature Reserve in Blackwater Lane, Witham.

The trail features fifteen nature posts located throughout the reserve offering families and young explorers the opportunity to engage with the diverse wildlife found at Whetmead. Each post includes a wildlife etching panel allowing wonderful rubbings of birds, animals, insects and trees to be created while providing interesting facts on wildlife found on the reserve for those taking part in the trail. Visitors can bring their own paper and crayons or purchase a nature trail booklet with crayons included for £2.40 at the Information Centre in the Town Hall in Newland Street which is open Mondays to Thursdays 9am to 4.30pm and Fridays 9am to 3.50pm. The Information Centre also stocks a range of nature spotting books for £3.99 as well as other items for young nature lovers to purchase to continue their wildlife discovery adventures.

This is an exciting addition to the nature reserve and comes as the final part of current enhancements to the site made possible through developer funding specifically allocated for making improvements to Whetmead Nature Reserve. Witham Town Council, utilising Section 106 developer funding collected by Braintree District Council, have also installed new steps, an interpretation board and additional planting as part of the project which enriches the overall experience for visitors. Councillor Phil Barlow, Chairman of the Section 106 Steering Group, said “We are extremely pleased to complete this project utilising Section 106 funds available to improve our much loved nature reserve. We hope that the nature trail itself will provide an engaging outdoor learning experience, promising fun and discovery which will inspire a new generation of nature and environmental enthusiasts. We are looking forward to continuing with further projects to improve our open spaces in the town in the future. ”.

Whetmead Nature Reserve was once a council landfill site and when it became full, it was turned into an area of open space and became a nature reserve in 1991 for all to enjoy. Further information about the nature reserve and trail can be obtained by contacting Witham Town Council on 01376 520627 or by visiting the Information Centre at the Town Hall.